Leaders highlight Bay City and Bay County growth during 2020 state of the community event

BAY CITY, MI - City and county leaders took the stage Tuesday at an annual Bay Area Chamber of Commerce event to give an update on the community.

The chamber hosted the 20th annual State of the Community address at the Double Tree Hotel in Bay City on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The luncheon invites local leaders to give presentations, similar to a State of the Union address.

Bay County Executive Jim Barcia and Bay City Manager Dana Muscott emphasized positive achievements and notable events from 2019 at both the county and city level, while also discussing the challenges that await in 2020.

“We are doing so well that the Michigan Association of Counties has added a breakout session at their Spring Legislative Conference in Lansing to share our strategies with other counties,” said Barcia about Animal Services. “Craig Goulet and I, along with Deb Schutt, CEO of the Pet Fund Alliance of Michigan, will be presenting.”

Barcia also praised work toward establishing a low-income dental clinic with the new My Community Dental Centers location. The 3,000-square-foot clinic is slated to open in the summer of 2020 and it will be located at 2624 Center Ave., in the plaza containing Little Caesar’s and Family Dollar on the city’s East Side.

“The clinic will make a life-changing difference for our neighbors, who would otherwise not have access to dental care by offering reduced fees for those without dental insurance, based on household income," Barcia said.

According to Barcia, the clinic will be 100% funded at no cost to Bay County taxpayers.

Barcia stressed that Bay County has been working on “doing more with less”, citing a decrease in tax revenue for the county to work with while striving to offer the same level of service to residents. He credited his staff’s diligence at seeking alternative funding sources and said that Bay County’s estimated federal and state operating grants and contributions total up to $11.4 million.

“Our staff is diligent about seeking all possible federal and state sources to supplement our budget and maintain quality services,” he said.

Barcia emphasized the importance of collaboration, especially with state and federal agencies, in regards to shoreline flooding and predicted high water levels.

“County Emergency Management is working with municipalities to schedule informational public meetings with state and federal agencies, the distribution of tens of thousands of sand bags and evacuation and rescue plans are being developed with local fire departments," he said.

As for the city side of things, Muscott listed a myriad achievements and successes that Bay City has seen.

Muscott highlighted the city’s fight against blight and recent push to clean up Bay City’s neighborhoods.

“The movement that we want to make is about neighborhoods and people. Neighborhoods that are accessible, safe, inclusive, clean and affordable,” she said. “An economy that extends opportunity to everyone, a city that preserves its history, character and sense of community, even in the midst of negativity. That negativity to me is blight.”

Uptown was a focus of Muscott’s presentation, with her noting the progress on Uptown’s phase 2 project while acknowledging Uptown’s phase 1 project, which was awarded the Michigan Municipal League’s 2019 Community Excellence Award.

“This magnitude of investment shows that Shaheen Development has confidence in our city as they have done on that once deserted 43-acre site," she said.

Muscott also made the first public announcement about a new industry setting up shop in Bay City. She said that Wilkinson Minerals purchased property at 101 Picard St. in Bay City - a site east of Independence Bridge along the Saginaw River - for a planned $50-60 million investment. Wilkinson Minerals is a Mayville-based company that focuses on the production and sale of calcium chloride solution.